Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Bay Area Husker ENews 9-15-09

Hey Bay Area Husker Fans!

Mark up another Husker victory and another sellout crowd, but its apparent the coaches feel there is still a lot of progress needed before the game this weekend against the Hokies of Virginia Tech. Tough practices were held this week to try and counter the Hokie running game and prepare the offense for the strongest defense they have faced so far. It should be a great game. And take the time to read the feedback piece from a Hokie fan who attended last year's game (thanks Swanie)...I think you'll get a kick out of it. More proof that Husker Fans are the best fans in College Football...bar none!

Lots of other stuff to read below. A great piece about Boyd Epley, a couple of articles about some great former Huskers (Remington and Frazier), updates about the volleyball and soccer teams continued success this fall, the Alumni Association has a lifetime email offer for you below, and there's another Husker gear store that wants your business (at the end of the email).Enjoy the reading and...

Go Big Red (White and Blue),Carl

WATCH SITE INFO FOR SATURDAY'S GAME:Note that although the game is being broadcast by ABC, it will be a regional broadcast that will NOT be seen by ABC affiliates on the west coast. The only way to watch the game will be to attend one of our four watch sites where they have paid for the ESPN GameDay package (or buy it at home). We think you'll have more fun cheering on the Huskers with fellow fans, so come on out to your favorite site and join the crowd. Kickoff is at 12:30 our time so get there early to get a good seat and have a little lunch and a cold one before the game. See you there!

Got this from Steve Curry (Final-Final Coordinator).Husker fans,

The following site indicates that this weekend's Husker game with Va Tech will be included in the ESPN Gameplan package:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/schedule

Final Final sports pub subscribes to Gameplan so it would seem that we'll all be able to enjoy the game together. Broadcast time is set for 12:30 PDT. Get there in time to grab some good seats!

Go Big Red,Steve

===========LEE LEADS HUSKERS PAST RED WOLVES...Lincoln - Quarterback Zac Lee engineered an efficient and balanced Nebraska offense, while the Nebraska defense continued to flex its muscles, as No. 22 Nebraska rolled to a 38-9 victory over visiting Arkansas State on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Playing in front of the NCAA-record 299th consecutive sellout with 85,035 fans at Memorial Stadium and a Fox Sports pay-per-view audience, Lee helped the Huskers improve to 2-0 by completing 27-of-35 passes for 340 yards and four touchdowns in his second career start. The junior from San Francisco, Calif., connected with 11 Husker receivers, while powering Nebraska to more than 490 yards of total offense for the second straight game.

Wide receiver Niles Paul was Lee's favorite target on the day, hauling in a career-high six catches for 69 yards with his first career touchdown reception. The junior from Omaha added the first touchdown run of his career on a 30-yard reverse. Paul added 53 kickoff return yards and 17 punt return yards to close with 169 all-purpose yards on the afternoon. Overall, 14 different Husker receivers caught passes on the afternoon, as NU finished with 358 passing yards and 136 rushing yards.

Junior tight end Mike McNeill added a pair of touchdown catches on the day, while bringing down four receptions for 57 yards. Menelik Holt added a career-best five catches for 40 yards, while Roy Helu Jr. pulled down four receptions for 44 yards. Helu added 60 yards on 14 carries on the ground, as Nebraska managed 121 rushing yards on the afternoon.

Nebraska's Blackshirt defense slowed a potent Arkansas State offense, holding the Red Wolves to 272 total yards, including 141 on the ground and 131 through the air. Senior safety Larry Asante led the Blackshirts with eight tackles, including seven solos, while forcing the game's only turnover with a fumble-causing hit to stop an ASU drive inside the NU 20. Prince Amukamara added seven tackles, including a tackle-for-loss, while senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh notched five tackles, including three tackles for loss with 1.5 sacks (17 yards).

Lee led Nebraska to a quick 21-0 advantage just two minutes into the second quarter with a precision passing attack and a quick-tempo on offense. In the first half, Lee completed 15-of-19 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. He guided the Huskers to 270 total yards in the opening half, while controlling the time of possession (17:44-12:16), on their way to a 24-6 halftime edge.

Lee got the Huskers off to a fast start, leading the Big Red on an eight-play, 80-yard march capped by a three-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman fullback Tyler Legate. Legate's first career score gave NU a 7-0 lead with 11:40 left in the opening quarter. Nebraska's opening drive was highlighted by a 43-yard strike to Curenski Gilleylen that set up the pass to Legate, along with Lee's 11-yard connection with McNeill to convert on third down early in the drive.

After the Blackshirts forced a punt on the Red Wolves' first drive, Lee engineered another impressive 80-yard drive for the Huskers. He went 5-for-5 for 54 yards through the air, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to McNeill to give NU a 14-0 lead with 1:15 left in the first quarter. Through the first two drives, Lee was 8-for-9 for 111 yards, while adding three carries for 22 yards on the ground, accounting for 133 of the 160 total offense yards on the drives.

Suh and fellow defensive lineman Jared Crick put an exclamation point on Nebraska's second defensive stand, forcing a 4th-and-18 from the ASU 5 to end the opening quarter after sacking quarterback Corey Leonard.

Lee and the Huskers opened the second stanza with their best field position of the day, starting their third drive at the ASU 46. Three plays later, Paul extended NU's lead to 21-0 with his first career rushing touchdown on a 30-yard reverse.

Arkansas State tried to fight its way back into the game, driving to the NU 25 on its first possession of the second quarter. But after a Leonard completion to Jahbari McLennan, Asante hit McLennan hard to force a fumble that was recovered by Barry Turner to stop the ASU threat. The Huskers appeared to capitalize when Lee connected with Paul on what would have been a 70-yard touchdown pass, but the play was wiped out by an NU holding penalty.

The Red Wolves stopped the Huskers for the first time and after a solid punt return and a 15-yard face mask penalty was tacked on, ASU took over at the Husker 32. Arkansas State capitalized on the excellent field position six plays later, when Reggie Arnold scored from one yard out to trim Nebraska's lead to 21-6 after Josh Arauco's PAT missed wide right with 5:30 left in the half. Arnold's score ended Nebraska's streak of 106 minutes of game action without surrendering a touchdown.

Nebraska answered the Red Wolves score with another successful drive, covering 58 yards in 11 plays capped by Alex Henery's first field goal of the season to give the Huskers a 24-6 halftime lead.

Lee kept Nebraska in control in the third quarter, coordinating a four-play 67-yard drive that culminated with a 32-yard scoring strike to McNeill that put the Huskers up 31-6 with 9:47 left in the third. The Blackshirts silenced the Red Wolves in the third quarter, but surrendered a 42-yard field goal by Arauco that just cleared the crossbar with 12:05 left in the game.

Lee closed the day by leading NU on a seven-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a two-yard scoring pass to Paul with 8:14 left to end the scoring.

Nebraska will hit the road for the first time in 2009, when the Huskers travel to Blacksburg, Va., to take on No. 14 Virginia Tech, Saturday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. (Central) with live television coverage on ABC.

Zac Lee and Nebraska's offensive unit have only committed one turnover in the first two games.The Nebraska football team headed to the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields northeast of Memorial Stadium for a 90-minute workout on Monday to begin preparations for its Sept. 19 matchup against Virginia Tech.

The Huskers have only committed one turnover offensively while forcing four defensive turnovers in the first two games. Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini discussed NU's plus-three turnover margin.

"It's huge," Pelini said. "It's something that we're emphasizing big time. It's worked in our favor up to this point and we need it to continue to be so. You can't give the ball away. You can't give up possessions and you have to gain some possessions on defense. It's something that we're stressing and hopefully we can continue down that road. We're not happy with one takeaway, but we are happy with the zero turnovers."

As NU approaches its first road game of the season, it will be using a crowd-noise simulator later in the week to get ready for Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium.

The Huskers will continue preparations for this weekend's game with another practice Tuesday afternoon. The Nebraska-Virginia Tech game is slated to begin at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) and will be aired on ABC (Regional Coverage).

===========FEEDBACK FROM A VIRGINIA TECH FAN (who obviously traveled to Lincoln last year)...proof that the Huskers have the best fans in college football!!!)

From a fellow Virginian, treat 'em right. I've said it before, but Nebraska fans are nonpareil. They are among the most knowledgeble fans in the country. They travel better than everybody. They're probably the nicest, most respectful, and classy opposing fans with whom I've ever had the pleasure of interacting. I'm sure more than a few of you on this board know what I'm referring to.

If you go to a game in Lincoln, you'll be welcomed. Not just a "Hey, how ya doin?" They want to know everything about your school: fight songs, traditions, etc. They want to know how the trip west was. And they thank you for coming out. Then they invite you to come tailgate with them. And as long as you can stomach the red beer, you'll be fine! :) They aren't the biggest tailgaters, but they make up for it in quality. Great BBQ and ribs. You run out of beer or food? Don't worry about it. Your long lost friends in Lincoln have you covered. They do it right.

But they're in the stadium well before kickoff (unlike your instate rival)...and they're loud. To top off your experience for traveling so far, they'll even play your team's fight song before kickoff. Classy. Did I mention they're loud? They stay that way the ENTIRE game.

After the game - win or lose - your team gets an ovation. Then those Huskers'll intelligently talk to you about the game. Strengths, weaknesses of both teams and they'll always thank you for coming out. If you have the good sense to take a night out on the town, you'll be happy you did. People wearing fire-engine red will try to buy you beer all night. It's tough to turn those folks down, but one should try to do the same for them. It's a busy process to try to reciprocate all the drinks bought for you, though! I imagine you could do pretty well in Lincoln masquerading as a member of the opposition's fanbase. :)

Long post to say that they are the best fanbase I've ever had contact with. I just want you share my experience with you guys so all the folks who couldn't make the trip last year would know the kid of people you're going to be inundated by starting today. I hope that you treat those Huskers the same way that they treat all their visitors: as valued guests. Show that Hokie respect for the most deserving fanbase in the country! Good luck Saturday.

Note: all that hospitality is NOT extended to the Colorado Buffaloes. They're the a$$clowns (more accurately, the WVU) of the Big 12.

===========HUSKER GAME DAY...http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=204792751

===========HUSKERS LOOK TO SLOW DOWN HOKIE RUNNING GAME...The Nebraska football team wrapped up a 2 ½ hour practice inside Memorial Stadiums in near-perfect football conditions on Wednesday afternoon. The buzz around practice surrounded linebacker Phillip Dillard, who has been moved to the WILL linebacker position. Defensive Coordinator Carl Pelini explained his decision to move the senior linebacker over to the WILL position.

"(We're) creating competition wherever we can get it," Pelini said. "We have guys a little banged up. (Matthew) May has got the stinger, Blake's (Lawrence) got the ankle, and we're just trying to get guys on the field who are healthy and who are going to run to the football and execute, that's all."

Although Dillard hasn't seen game action in the first two games of the season, Pelini said that his attitude has been positive the whole time.

"He's been a good leader from the start," Pelini said. "One thing about Phil, he hasn't played in these first two games, but he's busted his tail in practice every day and he's earned the opportunity. His leadership has been evident to our defense from the start of camp. That has never been an issue. He's a great kid, a great leader, he's a positive influence on this football team."

Pelini and the Husker defense will look to slow down the Virginia Tech running game, which is ranked No. 13 in the nation with 508 yards through its first two games.

"They always seem to find the hole," Pelini said of the Hokie running backs. "They're very good decision makers, every one of them, and if you create a seam for them, they're going to find it. You see a lot of great athletes at running back every week, but the guys who have the knack for finding the seams, those are the guys that cause you the most problems."

The Huskers will practice again on Thursday before leaving Friday for Blacksburg. Kickoff for the Nebraska-Virginia Tech matchup is at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) and will be broadcast regionally on ABC.

===========PELINI PRESS CONFERENCE: EXECUTION KEY TO VICTORY...Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini said execution will be the key to winning this Saturday at No. 13 Virginia Tech. Pelini told the media at Nebraska's weekly press conference that execution - and not the challenges of going on the road for the first time this season - will be the key in Saturday's top-20 battle.

"Its about performing," Pelini said when asked about the key to winning on the road. "Its about executing your techniques and focusing in. We talk about it all the time, whether youre at home or on the road you have to focus, you have to execute, you have to do what you are being coached to do play after play. I dont even know how many people that stadium holds but theyre not playing. Its 11 on 11 when you walk out on the field.

Pelini went on to say that Nebraska is "absolutely" a better practice team that it was a year ago and that he expects the Huskers to execute better on Saturday than they did in last year's meeting with the Hokies.

"I think were better," Pelini said. "Ive said this, I think we practice better. I think we practice more consistently with the right attitude and better focus and better tempo, all those things. Sometimes the level of execution isnt as good as I want it, and I think sometimes that shows in the games. What were working toward is a consistent level of execution and with the right focus. Thats how you develop as a football team. Its week two, we have to keep getting better and were going to need to play better in order to win this football game.

Nebraska and Virginia Tech meet on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in a regionally televised contest on ABC. Virginia Tech is 1-1 on the season after winning its home opener last weekend with a 52-10 victory over Marshall. The Hokies' lone loss of the season came in a 10-point setback to No. 5 Alabama in Atlanta.

===========ZAC LEE SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON QUICK HITS...Zac Lee is so busy responding to intense coaching every day that he doesn't have time to measure the impact of being the starting quarterback in the second year of a tradition-rich program that's trying to take another step in its extreme makeover.

A junior who once started at quarterback in a national junior college championship game at San Francisco City College, Lee gets his first start as a Husker Saturday night.

He understands, appreciates and expects pressure. In fact, he even welcomes it. Asked which player enjoys pressure the most on this team, Lee said, "Hopefully . . . me." He smiled when he said it.

Saturday's first major exam will show Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini, NU Offensive Coordinator Shawn Watson and everyone else if Lee's game performance matches the same standards he's set for himself in fall camp.

There are good reasons why Lee shows no signs of feeling extra pressure. First, he helps deflect the stress by viewing everything in the context of the team, and secondly, he has great confidence in his offensive line.

When the line meshes in front of him, Lee is a dangerous threat with both his arm and his legs. His coaches say that once the quarterback and his line find the same rhythm, the confidence meter will go up for everyone . . . the quarterback, the offensive line, the running backs, the receivers and an entire defense that expects to compete at the highest level in the Big 12 Conference.

Lee's confidence and how it will continue to develop may be the opening game's biggest storyline. He's the trigger for an offense that hopes to match the expectations of a seasoned defense. "We're really good on defense," Lee said. "They've helped make me a better player."

Lee couldn't decide between an offensive player and a defensive player being the most talented player on the Huskers. "There's talent everywhere on this team," he said.

Lee sees a redshirt freshman being the most surprising player on the Husker defense and a true freshman being the most surprising player on offense.

===========NEW HARRIS POLL PANELIST, TOMMIE FRAZIER ON HUSKERS VS. HOKIES...One of the new panelists on the 2009 Harris Interactive Poll, commissioned by the BCS (Bowl Championship Series), is also one of its most uniquely qualified voters.He is, after all, former Nebraska All-America quarterback Tommie Frazier, who finished second to Eddie George in the 1995 Heisman Trophy voting.

Frazier is uniquely qualified because he led the Huskers to back-to-back national championships and was arguably the Most Valuable Player in three consecutive national championship games.

In his new role on a panel of former players, coaches, administrators and current and former media who are committed to ranking college football teams each week, Frazier is staying closer to the game than he ever has.

This week, he shared with Huskers.com his views about Saturday's regional telecast involving top 20 teams Virginia Tech and Nebraska in Blacksburg, Va.

Frazier talked about Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech's dual-threat junior quarterback, and what kind of problems he presents to Nebraska's Blackshirts.

He mixed the term Bo Ball into his discussion of Beamer Ball, which describes the style of Frank Beamer-coached Virginia Tech teams.

Frazier also described what he thinks are the keys to the Nebraska-Virginia Tech game.

All of that is included in a short highlight of our 7-minute interview with Frazier.

If you want to get Tommie's take on what he thinks Nebraska has to do to win the early-season non-conference showdown, you will need to join HuskersNside.

Get exclusive access to select full-game rebroadcasts of Nebraska's 2009 football games, full-game Classic Husker football games, the Bo Pelini Show and other special features and guest analysis with a monthly subscription or a heavily discounted annual pass to all things Nebraska.

Frazier will provide periodic updates on his college football views with HuskersNside throughout the season.

===========

Dave Rimington described Jacob Hickman as a "solid player who comes to play every day."College Football Hall-of-Famer Rimington: Nebraska Still the Place to Be

Last Saturday, before Nebraska hosted Arkansas State, Bo Pelini asked one of his guest coaches to address his team.

Dave Rimington, the only player ever to win the Outland Trophy in consecutive years (1981 and 1982), was only happy to explain that oh, how the years go by, and that's why every player should work as hard as he can, so he can get better every day.

The Academic All-American, All-American, Lombardi Award winner and College Football Hall of Famer, who has the best center award in college football named in his honor, said he was impressed with the Husker coaching staff and enjoyed meeting and watching Nebraska center Jacob Hickman play.

"He's on our trophy watch list, so I kept my eye on him," said Rimington, who had flown from Israel to his home in New York only to turn right around and head to Lincoln to see his first Husker football game in five years.

"We have 3 ½-year-old triplets and had another baby last January, so my game-day activities have been curtailed," Rimington said.

The only lineman in Big Eight Conference history to win the league's Offensive Player of the Year Award, Rimington in 2004 became the first Nebraska student-athlete in history to be inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame.

Two other Husker student-athletes have since added that same honor - former Nebraska women's basketball player Karen Jennings and ex-Husker football player Pat Tyrance.

Rimington spent seven years in the NFL - five with the Cincinnati Bengals, who drafted him in the first round, and two years with the Philadelphia Eagles. He retired from pro football in 1989 and has spent the last 10 years as the president of the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which raises money for cystic fibrosis.

HuskersNside caught up with Rimington after the game, and his full interview is on our premium website.

It ends with the logic of his no-spin zone.

If he was a player just coming out of high school now, he would ask himself this question: "Why not come to Nebraska?" he said. "It's a great place to be and a great place to live. This is the place where you want to be if you're a college football player . . . right here."

===========HUSKERS HONOR BOYD EPLEY...(I took weight lifting classes from Boyd while at UNL back in the early '70s...a great guy and one of the big reasons for Nebraska's dynasty days)...

Trailblazer, visionary, pioneer, even godfather of strength and conditioning . . . coaches, athletes and Nebraska's athletic director have used those terms to describe Boyd Epley, who will be honored Saturday about 30 minutes before the Huskers host Arkansas State at Memorial Stadium.

Tuesday, Sept. 15, will mark the 40th anniversary of Epley's hiring at Nebraska, making him the first paid strength and conditioning coach in collegiate athletic history.

A former Husker pole vaulter, Epley impressed then Nebraska Assistant Football Coach Tom Osborne with his ability to help athletes improve physically after injury and inspire others to get bigger, stronger and faster as competitors.

Osborne urged a somewhat skeptical Coach Bob Devaney to hire Epley and create the Husker strength and conditioning program in 1969. For the next 35 years that Epley headed Nebraska's football strength program, the Huskers averaged more than 10 wins per season.

Hit the play button (at Huskers.com websit) to hear more about that historic journey into a field that is now commonplace throughout Division I athletics and even beyond.

The founder of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a member of its Hall of Fame, Epley is now the director of coaching performance for the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association in Colorado Springs.

The Huskers, who improved to 8-2 and won their Big 12 opener for the 10th consecutive year, got strong efforts from Werth, a freshman who totaled a match-high 11 kills on .375 hitting and 10 digs for her second straight double-double and Delano, who finished with 10 kills on .474 hitting as NU collected its fifth sweep of the year.

Delano, who also topped NU with three blocks, has now been in double figures in kills in each of the last three matches as Nebraska bounced back from Sundays loss to UCLA. Nebraska held Texas Tech to .041 hitting, including -.061 in the opener and .000 in the finale.

Nebraska broke open a close set midway through in posting a 25-16 victory in the opener. Delano powered the Huskers with four kills on .429 hitting while adding a pair of blocks in the set. In all, the Huskers hit .300, as outside hitters Hannah Werth and Tara Mueller combined for six kills. Trailing 9-8, Delano sparked a 5-0 Husker spurt, as the sophomore started the run with a kill before running off four straight points from the service line, capped by her second kill of the run to make it 13-9 for NU. The Red Raiders stayed within 16-13 before kills from Werth and Delano and a pair of Red Raider miscues pushed the Husker lead to seven points, at 20-13, and put the set out of reach.

The Bruins, who improved to 8-1 on the season, became the first team to defeat the Huskers on their home court since Florida A&M accomplished the feat in 2004, as Dicey McGraw totaled a match-high 18 kills for in the victory.

Tara Mueller paced Nebraska (7-2) with a team-best 17 kills and added 13 digs, while freshman Hannah Werth and Brooke Delano added 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Werth set personal bests in both kills and digs (23) to collect her first double-double as a Husker. Sydney Anderson 44 assists and 12 digs and Delano, who added four blocks, were Nebraskas representatives on the all-tournament team.

Lauren Cook dished out 48 assists and added five kills and 15 digs to earned Tournament MVP honors, while she was joined by fellow Bruins Kaitlin Sather (13 kills and 16 digs) and libero Lainey Gera (25 digs), as UCLA out-hit NU, .213-.179, including a match-best .391 in the fifth set.

===========HUSKER BASEBALL RECRUITING TEAM RANKED 13TH BY COLLEGIATE BASEBALL...Lincoln  Nebraskas incoming baseball recruiting class was recognized nationally, as Collegiate Baseball rated the class No. 13 nationally in its rankings released Thursday. The rating is the highest ever for Nebraska in the publications 27-year history of ranking recruiting classes.

Nebraskas recruiting class, which includes 16 freshmen and five junior college transfers, features four players who had been drafted previously before coming to Nebraska, pitchers Ryan Hughes (16th round in 2008), Tom Lemke (10th round in 2009), Kurt Giller (21st round in 2009) and Ryan Hander (38th round in 2009). Lemke was one of just 11 high school seniors selected in the top-10 rounds to not sign over the summer.

Of the 16 high school players in the class, 13 players garnered first-team state honors last year, including six players from Nebraska (Brian Donohoe, Kurt Farmer, Tyler Niederklein, Josh Scheffert, Dylan Vogt and Chris Williams).

Of the out-of-state recruits, Bryan Peters was the Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year in both football and baseball, becoming one of less than 10 athletes in Gatorades 25-year history of the award to ever earn two state honors in one year. Peters went 21-0 in his career on the diamond while hitting over .400 with 15 homers and 74 RBIs, leading Rocky Mountain High School to three consecutive Class 5A titles. Peters and right-hander Kurt Giller were named to Collegiate Baseballs High School All-America team.

Tom Lemke was a three-time all-state performer at Northwest Christian in Scottsdale, Ariz., going a combined 25-9 with 2.01 ERA in his career, as he recorded 333 strikeouts in 193.2 career innings. Chad Christensen was a two-time all-state performer at Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Washington High School, where he finished his career holding nearly every record in program history, including the schools all-time triple crown (.438-42-164).

The recruiting class was ranked second in the Big 12 by the publication, trailing only Texas, which was ranked 12th.

Fans will have their opportunity to see some of the newest Huskers during the annual Red/White Scrimmage, which takes place Oct. 8-10, at Hawks Field.

===========HUSKER SOCCER TEAM LOOKS TO CONTINUE WINNING STREAK AGAINST SODAK AND AZ STATE...

The Husker soccer team takes a three-game winning streak into this week as Nebraska prepares to battle first-time opponents South Dakota and Arizona State at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Huskers will meet the Coyotes on Friday at 5 p.m., before playing the Pac-10 Sun Devils on Sunday at Noon.

The NU Marketing Department encourages kids to come out on Friday vs. South Dakota for "Youth Soccer Day" before giving out Husker bandanas to the first 100 fans on Sunday vs. Arizona State.

Nebraska has won its last three games behind an offensive explosion of 20 goals in that stretch. The Huskers' season total of 26 goals is tied for the third-most in the NCAA this season.

Freshman Morgan Marlborough is the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Week, announced Tuesday by the league office. This weekend is the last chance to see Marlborough and the Huskers at home this month as NU opens Big 12 play on the road Sept. 25 and 27 (No. 20 Colorado, Texas Tech).

===========MARLBOROUGH CLAIMS BIG XII OFFENSIVE PLAYER AND NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK HONORS...Freshman forward Morgan Marlborough (Lee's Summit, Mo.) claimed a pair of conference honors on Tuesday, as she has been named Big 12 Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Week. She is the first Husker in school history and just the third player in the Big 12 era to win two league awards in the same week (2006-Nikki Marshall, Colorado; 2008-Kelly Dyer, Texas A&M).Marlborough was a force in Nebraska's two games last weekend, totaling six goals and adding two assists to lead the Huskers to wins over North Dakota and Akron. The freshman tied Nebraska's single-game school record with four goals against Akron, just two days after a two-goal, two-assist performance versus North Dakota.

Marlborough leads the nation in goals (10), goals per game (1.667), points (24) and points per game (4.00). She has scored in five of six games and already ranks No. 6 all-time among Husker freshmen for goals and points in a season. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native has shown a complete offensive game by adding four assists, tying her for the second in the conference in that category.

It is the 36th and 37th time the Huskers have garnered a Big 12 Conference weekly award. Last season, Katie Goetzmann and Molly Thomas both earned Newcomer of the Week honors.

Marlborough and the Huskers (4-1-1) play two home games this week, hosting South Dakota on Friday, Sept. 18 at 5 p.m., before taking on Arizona State on Sunday, Sept. 20 at Noon. Both games take place at the Nebraska Soccer Field, located just northeast of Memorial Stadium.

===========New Lifetime Email for UNL Alumni

Dear HuskerAlum.com Email Forwarding User,

We wanted you to be the first to have access to the new lifetime email solution offered by UNL and the Nebraska Alumni Association. This new system and the address, NAME@huskers.unl.edu, has been available to current students enrolled at UNL since the 2008 fall semester. Soon it will be made available to all UNL alumni as well as current members of the alumni association (who may not be UNL alumni).

Why Huskers Email is Better:

This new system is much better than the simple forwarding address you currently use. It is run by the Microsoft Exchange Labs and is therefore considerably more stable. Additionally, you can receive email right to that address that is accessible on any Web browser, anywhere in the world, rather than forwarding on to another account. You can, however, forward from this new account, if you choose. All your questions can hopefully be answered here: http://www.huskeralum.org/onlineservices/LifetimeEmail.

How to Create Your New Lifetime Email Account:

In order to create your new Huskers email account, you must first create your HuskerAlum.org user profile, if you have not done so already. After you have done this, it takes one business day to verify your alumni or membership status before you can access the lifetime email account creation. At that time, you can log back in here: https://community.huskeralum.org/LifetimeEmailLogin where the link Click here to create your UNL Lifetime Email Account will then be visible and you can proceed with your account creation. If you already have a HuskerAlum.org user profile, and are an alum or current association member, there will be no wait: the link should be visible to you immediately upon login.

The @huskeralum.com forwarding service will be discontinued on May 1, 2010. We kindly ask you to not delay in changing your address to the new system and informing your contacts of the change.

We want to keep you connected to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and we appreciate your patience and understanding during this transition.

Nebraska Alumni Association

===========Greetings Huskers in San Francisco Bay:

Until December 1st, 2009, The Finest of Nebraska www.finestofnebraska.com is offering an exclusive University of Nebraska alumni chapter promotion. 10% of all stadium store purchases made by your local members will be returned to your chapter at the end of the promotion. If this year goes well, we will repeat the offer next year. Just remember to place the word "Bay Area Huskers" in the comment box when ordering. That is all there is to it. Then just sit back and watch Nebraska football and Go Big Red!